Ecuador — Juan Peña Hacienda La Papaya Typica Mejorado (Oak Barrel Anaerobic Natural)

Tastes Like — 🫐 Blackberry • 🍍 Pineapple • 🍫 Chocolate • 💦 Juicy

DETAILS

• Producer: Juan Peña
• Farm: Hacienda La Papaya
• Origin: Ecuador
• Varietal: Typica Mejorado
• Process: Oak Barrel Anaerobic Natural
• Altitude: 2,000 MASL
• Harvest: September

INTRO

Juan Peña's Hacienda La Papaya has become one of Ecuador's most exciting addresses in specialty coffee, and this oak barrel anaerobic lot is its most expressive statement. Fermented in former rum barrels and dried slowly over nearly a month, the result is a fruit-forward, wine-tinged cup rich with blackberry, pineapple, chocolate, and a deeply juicy body.

THE PRODUCER

Juan Peña's journey into coffee began with a decisive pivot — following a failed rose harvest, he transitioned Hacienda La Papaya entirely to coffee production. That decision proved transformative, establishing the farm as one of Ecuador's most respected and closely watched producers. His approach is defined by precision at every stage: cultivation, fermentation, and drying are all carefully documented and refined with each successive harvest.

Sitting at 2,000 MASL, La Papaya benefits from the high elevation of Ecuador's mountainous southern growing regions, where cooler temperatures slow cherry development and concentrate sugars. Juan has invested deeply in processing infrastructure and relationships with partners such as CafExporto, enabling a level of traceability and quality control that sets his work apart in a country rapidly earning recognition in the specialty market.

THE PROCESS

The Oak Barrel Anaerobic Natural process at Hacienda La Papaya involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Cherries selected at peak ripeness 🛢️ Oak barrel fermentation — Whole cherries sealed in former rum barrels for 120 hours below 18°C 🌡️ Controlled monitoring — Temperature and humidity tracked throughout fermentation with internal probes ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Coffee dried whole-fruit on raised beds and patios for 28 to 30 days

The oak barrel fermentation is the defining step — sealed conditions, a low controlled temperature, and the residual character of rum-aged wood work together over five days to build layers of fruit esters and wine-like complexity that are then locked in by an exceptionally slow drying period.

THE CUP

A boldly expressive lot from one of Ecuador's pioneering farms — deeply fruited, richly complex, and unmistakably the product of meticulous, intentional processing. For those drawn to fruit-forward coffees with real depth, this is a standout.

Flavour Notes

🫐 Blackberry 🍍 Pineapple 🍫 Chocolate 💦 Juicy